Kara Biggs: Campaign for Wool's general manager celebrates new directive to use NZ wool in Government buildings

There's industry celebrations over a directive to use Kiwi wool in Government buildings. 

New builds worth more than $9 million and refurbishments costing over $100,000 must use wool where possible from July, meeting a Coalition deal.

In January, housing agency Kainga Ora reversed its price-based decision to not use dearer wool products

Campaign for Wool's general manager, Kara Biggs, says she's ecstatic.

"It will start to create more and more demand - so growers, manufacturers, brands, they will all reap the financial benefits from this decision today."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Government is saying yes please to woolen insulation and carpets
and government buildings over synthetic materials. From July. All government
buildings worth more than nine million dollars and refurbishments with
the price tag of one hundred thousand dollars or more
must use KIWI will quote where possible. This is all
part of the New Zealand First coalition. Dear Winston, Peter's

(00:22):
proud as punch.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
We are proud as a government as a party to
back our farmers and rural sectors and there many thousands
of workers. We are putting New Zealand wool first again.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Kara Biggs is with the campaign for wool here and
she's with me now.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Hikara, Hello, Ryan, thanks for having us.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
You happy as Winston is?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
I think maybe can we be happier, really ecstatic about this.
It's amazing.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
What about the nine million dollars? You know they're going
to have to build buildings worth more than nine million dollars.
How many of those are they doing well?

Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's hard to say at the moment, but what they
are doing is they are absolutely making sure that agencies
within the government are making sure that they prioritize wool
products within all of their builds. And not only that,
I mean Nicola Wallace also willis Sorry also said that
she is asking agencies to report against why they haven't

(01:14):
chosen wools, so they really they don't really have a
get out of jail free card. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
I was going to say, there is that language still
around you know where possible. I think it says or
as appropriate. Are you worried about that?

Speaker 2 (01:28):
So honestly I was, But having heard the three of
them speak today, not so much. They will be asking
for reports. They say, wool stacks up. They say it's
a value conversation. Now it's not a cost conversation. And
it's a long term play. So it's not just about
how much this is going to cost now, it's what's

(01:49):
the value for money in the long term. So now
very much less worried about that.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Wool is so good for so many different reasons. And
I say this as the son in law of a
sheep and beef farmer who and so I've kind of
learned over the last few years. But can you just
tell us even the flammable qualities you put a match
up to a lighter up to this over the synthetic stuff.
It's day night.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent. So if you put a
match up to a synthetic product, it will basically melt,
and it melts in a big gooey mess. It can
melt onto skin. It causes all sorts of issues. If
you have a wool product, it will ignite at a
very high temperature, but to start with, it basically scorches.

(02:34):
And that's why as kids we were all given you know,
woolen back blankets on the end of our bed so
that we could wrap ourselves up at them and you know,
run out of a house fire will it will scorch,
but it will not burn until it is a very
very high ignition point.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
How much do you reckon it might be worth kara
something like this.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Millions and millions. So basically it's not just what the
government has put in front of us. So I think
Minister Patterson said we could easily double exports with this.
Now obviously this isn't an export conversation, but what this
will do is it will start to create more and
more demand. So growers, manufacturers, brands, they will all read

(03:17):
the benefits, the financial benefits from this decision.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Today Cara, appreciate your time. Thank you very much. Carra
Biggs suits the general manager at the campaign.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
Will for more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
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